Okay, maybe you haven’t heard this one. The truth is, Auctioneer and Carnegie Office Director Leor Samuel’s childhood was anything but ordinary.

We sat down with him to find out more.

 

When dad’s work is your school holiday

Growing up, trips to Asia and the Middle East were a staple of the Samuel family calendar – adding spice to Leor’s otherwise normal life in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs.

“My dad was a travelling salesman,” Leor explains, “and when he took trips to places like Egypt and Turkey, one of us kids would tag along.”

Leor’s childhood is sprinkled with memories of his dad’s work. Some conventional; others with a hint of Hollywood.

“I’ve got this crazy memory of a trip to Egypt. A vendor my dad was bargaining with took us downstairs. I remember thinking – here I am, a Grade 5 kid. In the basement of a bazaar in Egypt at 11 o’clock at night. Watching my dad buy gold!”

And whatever Leor’s dad bought on those trips to faraway places – papyrus, perfume bottles, scented candles – would soon find its way into the hands of Melbourne market-goers.

 

 

Confidence, discipline and a bit of fun: learning dad’s business

“Never sit down, always stand up. Be confident. Talk to people.”

These are the lessons a fresh-faced Leor learnt from his dad on Sunday mornings in Scoresby.

While other kids were sleeping in, Leor and his brothers were up at 6:30am to set up the stall at Caribbean Gardens Markets.

“My dad had a really good eye for what was popular in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Then, he’d be one of the first to bring it to Australia,” Leor recalls.

“We had a really busy stall. It was colourful and creative – it always stood out.”

So too, no doubt, did the plucky young salesmen learning the tricks of the trade from dad (including his brother Aviv, who joined Leor at Gary Peer over a decade ago).

“Even as kids, we were hard at it until closing time, around 4:30pm. Working there gave me an inbuilt discipline – and taught me a lot about business, people and selling.

“But it was fun at the same time. I used to walk around the market with my brothers and try to figure it all out. Eventually, everyone knew who we were. We used to get into the rides for free!”

 

From markets to auctions: discovering the world of real estate

In Year 9, Leor’s weekend activities started to change.

Armed with a book of listings and his trusty pushbike, he’d cycle to the nearest property for sale and watch Phillip Kingston in action.

Or should we say, auction.

It begs the question – what was a 14-year-old kid doing watching auctions?

“I loved the theatre of it. It pulled me in, especially when Phillip was conducting.”

Leor’s sliding doors moment came when he noticed a younger guy from another agency putting out the flag at an auction. When Leor asked how he could get a foot in the door, he got a business card in return.

Though Leor’s Gary Peer days were yet to come, his real estate career had just begun.

 

St Kilda’s keenest sales cadet

It started with a rite of passage for every high schooler: work experience.

And from day dot, Leor’s enthusiasm for the industry never faltered – no amount of photocopying or rainy coffee runs could dampen his spirit.

“I got to know everyone at the agency – and learnt as much as I could. I kept in touch and, when I finished school, I applied for a job as a sales cadet there in 1999.”

For the uninitiated, a job as a sales cadet is the first step into the biz. You shadow the more experienced sales agents; you take calls; you put the flags out.

Selling homes? That comes later.

Not for Leor.

“I started taking calls when no sales consultants were around, letting people know what properties we had. All of a sudden, I was selling more than the salespeople!”

 

 

One morning, just before a property run, an older sales consultant called George pulled Leor aside, seemingly at random. George told him if he liked the industry, he should keep at it – he was good at it.

The next day, George – who had been unwell for some time – passed away. Looking back, Leor sees that final conversation as a sort of blessing.

He’d go on to fill George’s shoes at the agency, honouring the wisdom and encouragement from his colleague in a new role.

 

If you can’t beat them, play a different game

Leor was now a salesman. But he was also a 19-year-old kid with a modest resumé – meaning he had to think up novel ways to earn business.

“I realised I couldn’t win on experience,” Leor says. “I had to win on energy and knowledge.”

So he got to work.

“At that time another young agent called James Meldrum got a job at the same office. We were like kindred spirits.

“We’d pound the beat together. Chase leads. Work Saturdays and Sundays – we were hungry. A young, dynamic force!”

A by-product of this energetic partnership? Leor soon knew Elwood and St Kilda like he’d lived there for 50 years.

“They called me “Mr Melways,” he laughs.

And then, an opportunity.

When an overseas vendor was selling a property in Leor’s area, his boss made the call. That Leor, then only 20 years old, would conduct his first auction.

Was he nervous?

“Sure – I was just a kid!” Leor chuckles.

But it didn’t stop him from inviting all his friends to come and watch.

 

Coming-of-age: a new era at Gary Peer

If his early teenage days as auction acolyte are anything to go by, Leor was always destined for Gary Peer. And after catching the eye of its founders in 2007, he got his chance.

 

 

But it wasn’t smooth sailing at first.

“Gary and Phillip really pushed me in those early days,” says Leor. “I even wondered whether it was the right decision to move there.

“But ultimately, it made me a better agent. I learnt how to list properties, how to listen – how to use a database properly. I shifted my focus to doing the absolute best for the client and creating a memorable experience.”

Speaking about his early days at Gary Peer, the man Leor describes is a departure from the self-assured young boy of his earlier anecdotes. Had he changed?

“I think I’d just grown up a bit by then,” Leor reflects. “I was a little older. I was married to my wife, Natalie. We had a house – and we were planning on having children. I think that’s why I was ready for Gary Peer.”

Now a father of three (Ashton, 14; Hudson, 12; and Eamon, 6) and director of the Carnegie and Murrumbeena offices, Leor’s fatherly role extends to the people in his 30-strong team.

 

 

“It sounds cliché, but we’re a big family. I don’t just get joy from doing deals now – I get it from seeing the people in my team do well, too.”

His main advice to them – or to anyone looking to succeed in real estate?

Plenty of discipline, with a little TLC.

“Sow, water, feed, nurture. If you take care at every step, everything happens as it should.”

Want to meet more of our people? Read Sally Zelman's story, or live a day in the life of Jeremy Rosens.